Welcome back to a small update my friends.Stage 14 is concerned with laying a coat of primer paint on the hull. I haven't got quite that far yet (it's going to happen in the next day or so).In the meantime, here are a few pictures of work so far.The first 2 images are of the hull all masked up and ready for the primer coat.The 3rd image is of a foam 'dry dock' which I have knocked together from some spare foam I had laying around. After the hull is painted, special care will need to be taken to prevent any damage to the paintwork whilst further work is carried out on the build. So to that end, I came up with the idea of this foam dry dock which, although it's a bit 'rough and ready, it does serve its purpose. The last image is of the Hermione sitting in her 'cradle'.I'll post another update over the weekend after the primer has been applied.Thanks for looking in and special thanks to all who took the time share their comments with me.Happy buildingDavid

Looking great, wish I had the skills and courage to try something like this

Hi Ken,From what I've seen of your builds, you've got more than enough skill to do something like this. Your 'Thermopylae' for example, the time you spent on that beautiful model was a credit to you, and you didn't let a few mishaps defeat you either.Then there's your scratch build dioramas - just look at that amazing seascape you built for the lifeboat you're working on for example, I could never have the skill to attempt anything like that. So maybe your skill set is different from mine, but I'm sure you could apply your experience to a wood kit with no problem at all. We all get plenty of support on the forum, and help is always on hand for any difficulties we encounter along the way.Keep up the good work andHappy buildingDavid

She's looking good. I like the idea of the foam dry dock - simple but effective.

Graeme

Thanks GraemeI needed something that would give protection to the paintwork as well as support the model while I continued working on her and the kit display stand just didn't seem as if it would be up to the job.It's only 5 pieces of 1-inch foam cut from a roll I had lying around - 1 x large piece for the base, 2 x slightly narrower pieces to support the keel area and 2 x square profile pieces to cradle the hull. All held together by a liberal application of PVA glue left weighted down overnight to cement the pieces together.Like you say - simple but effective. She sits perfectly in it without any movement and I'm satisfied it work just fine for the purpose I have in mind.Happy buildingDavid

Hi again and thanks for looking in.Well, today I got the first coat of primer onto the hull. Although I was aware that the primer would show up any more imperfections, I never really knew just how much. Was I in for a shock!! It seemed like all the hard work I had put in was for nothing. There are lumps, bumps, cracks and holes everywhere, and the pictures don't really show how bad it really is.So it's back to the workbench for more filling and more sanding so watch this space.Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement.Happy buildingDavid

Your previous hard work was not in vain as you got the planking to a reasonable finish and as always the first coat of primer will show up any defects as you have found.

What to do next.

Refill all obvious gaps with filler and sand back to get the hull back to the primer stage. The primer you have now will act as an indicator as you flatten back so you dont take off more wood in the wrong places.

Once your at this stage you need to respray with your white primer let it dry then respray with grey primer and allow that to dry. Next its more sanding as you sand the high portions will cut through the grey and white primers til it matches the rest of the hull, it will also show any dips that will need extra filling.

After this stage you should have a hull with no bumps but maybe a few dips that need filling so you now have two choices you can do , use a filler and sand back to the primer as above or get a primer filler like the one sold at Halfords [ the yellow one] respray the hull with a couple of coats and sand back. All the yellow should disappear and only stay in the dips which should be filled by the primer to make the hull smooth.

Finish off with a couple of coats of white primer and give a light sanding to provide a key for the top coat colours you will be applying.

As Andy said don't be to disappointed with the first sanding and filling as single planked hulls are really tricky to get perfect first time. A little more sanding and filling and you will be surprised how better it looks. Looking forward to seeing your next update m8

Martyn

Building Deag Vasa Completed. Soliei Royal . Sovereign of the Seas . Virginia . Scotland . San Felipe . Corel vasa , Santisima Trinadad X section Next Build Drago ? When sailors have good wine, They think themselves in heaven for the time. John Baltharpe

Hi David, all your hard work has certainly paid off and I think she is coming along very nicely. Yes, more work is needed but that can be taken as a given considering the way the instructions say to plank the hull. Remember, this is not a race but a journey and the advice Andy has given is very sound, if you follow it you will end up with a hull to be proud of. Take your time and am confident it will all come good for you and you will end up with a build you will be proud of...

Hi AndyThanks for that information. Like a mini-tutorial. Just what I needed. Thank you so much. I've printed it out so I can follow your tips as I work.As this is the first model I've painted, it's a steep learning curve and as Alan pointed out, the instructions from Artesania Latina are very brief not at all specific on how to go about this task.I can see that this stage is not one that can be rushed through if one hopes to get a good finish and a lot of hard work is necessary to achieve this. So it's back to the workbench for me.Thank you again for helping me out on this one Andy, the images in your link were helpful as well to illustrate the stages the work takes you through to achieve a really good finish.Happy buildingDavid

@MartynIngram@Gandale@Tigerace Thank you Alan, Martyn and Phil for your encouragement. I wasn't as disappointed as I may have suggested in my post, it was just a big shock to see so many faults that were not apparent before applying the primer. Andy's post is a really big help to me and I'll be following his suggestions as I progress through the rest of this stage and hopefully, I should end up with a satisfactory result. I think it's great to be a part of this forum and share our combined experiences with each other. Thanks again guysHappy buildingDavid

Hi David, you're doing great. On painted hulls I have seen myself doing the prime/fill/sand routine half a dozen times before be satisfied with the result. persevere and I'm sure you will achieve a great result.

Don't be downhearted David, we are our own worst critics sometimes in modelling It may take several sessions before your happy with it but it will get there, especially with all the good advice from the ship builders on here.

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